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SAIC Books Prime Position in 10 Pools on GSA ASTRO Contract
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SAIC Books Prime Position in 10 Pools on GSA ASTRO Contract

Science Applications International Corporation has been selected for prime positions on the General Services Administration’s potential 10-year, multibillion-dollar ASTRO contract.

The Reston, Virginia-based information technology company is one of only six companies to win positions in all 10 pools of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity ASTRO contract, SAIC said Tuesday.

Under the contract, SAIC will leverage its capabilities in engineering, artificial intelligence and digital services to perform work in all ten ASTRO pools including data operations, mission operations, aviation, ground, space, maritime, development/systems integration, research, support and training.

The ASTRO contract vehicle, sponsored by the Department of Defense and managed by GSA’s Federal Systems Integration and Management Center office, covers the development, integration and operation of manned, unmanned and optionally manned systems, robotics and platforms.

SAIC’s ASTRO contract follows the company’s recent win of a $99 million contract to provide weapon system modeling support for the U.S. Air Force.

In a recent Executive Spotlight interview with ExecutiveBiz, Vincent DiFronzo, senior vice president of the Air Force and COCOM Business Unit at SAIC, commented on the Air Force win and explained how the company’s digital engineering capabilities are supporting the service branch’s mission under the contract.

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Former Perspecta VP Sean Mullen Joins ECS; President John Heneghan Quoted
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Former Perspecta VP Sean Mullen Joins ECS; President John Heneghan Quoted

Sean Mullen, formerly of Perspecta, has joined ECS as senior vice president of business development, the company announced Tuesday. 

“Sean is a forward-thinking and results driven executive with a strong customer focus and a proven track record driving year-over-year growth,” said ECS President John Heneghan.

Mullen will leverage his over three decades of work in business development and capture as well as, proposal operations and strategic solution teams. He will be part of a strategy to grow the company via collaboration with new partners.

“ECS routinely tackles the industry’s hardest challenges, and I am excited to join a company committed to growth and delivery excellence,” Mullen explained. 

Previously with Perspecta, he conceived and orchestrated the company’s go-to-market strategy and honed a customer-focused approach.

Prior to Perspecta, Mullen worked for information technology services and consulting company DXC Technology, and spent seven years as Vice President, Public Sector Sales Leader at Hewlett-Packard.

He started his career with the Air Force as a civilian acquisition officer harnessing key engineering and information technology capabilities to enhance mission effectiveness.

“I look forward to working with ECS’ incredibly talented and passionate BD team to drive market-leading growth and customer satisfaction,” Mullen added. 

One of a series of ECS leadership transitions, Heneghan assumed the role of president this week, and was appointed in Nov. 2021, along with a number of new VP appointments.

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WHS, DOD Need Market Info on Greenhouse Gas Accountability Services
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WHS, DOD Need Market Info on Greenhouse Gas Accountability Services

Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) seeks market information on capabilities that can increase the Department of Defense’s accountability in reducing greenhouse gases across its supply chain.

DOD wants to use science-based methods to define, develop and implement disclosure requirements to boost the department’s accountability on GHG emissions, WHS said Thursday in a SAM.gov notice.

The department seeks disclosure requirements that foster GHG reductions and set emission reduction goals to achieve net-zero by 2050. WHS seeks to identify available commercial services that support this mission and answer related questions from the private sector.

Interested parties may submit capability packages and ask questions through Jan. 25th.

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Arnold Engineering Development Complex Uses Funds to Bolster Hypersonic Testing
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Arnold Engineering Development Complex Uses Funds to Bolster Hypersonic Testing

The Test Resource Management Center has provided additional funds for a high-temperature laboratory and a ballistic range used for hypersonic technology testing at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). 

AEDC has received $850,000 since fiscal year 2020 in support of the complex’s high-temperature laboratory, which operates and maintains arc heaters to evaluate high-temperature materials, Air Force Materiel Command said Monday.

The funds allowed AEDC to expand the laboratory’s workforce with the hiring of five engineers and 10 craftsmen.

“With the growth in personnel, test frequency has increased from 77 runs in fiscal year 2020 to a forecasted workload of 116 runs in fiscal year 2022,” said Frank Wonder, arcs section chief for AEDC.

The engineering complex also received $1.5 million in TRMC funds to support Arnold Air Force Base’s Range G, where hypervelocity flyout, impact and lethality ground tests take place.

These funds financed the expansion of Range G’s consumable inventory and the procurement of critical spare equipment.

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Amendment on Senate-Cleared Cloud Bill Would Task GAO to Report on FedRAMP
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Amendment on Senate-Cleared Cloud Bill Would Task GAO to Report on FedRAMP

A bill cleared by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee may require the Government Accountability Office to report on the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which aims to standardize cloud product security, Nextgov reported Monday.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, led an amendment that gives the “Federal Secure Cloud Improvement and Jobs Act of 2021” provisions to prevent foreign entities from influencing FedRAMP through third-party assessors or code in the software supply chain.

These provisions would task GSA’s administrator to decide whether a cloud vendor may undergo third-party assessments for verification. 

The bill also directs GAO to produce a report about FedRAMP 180 days after the bill’s passage.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., co-authored the bill with support from Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Portman.

The legislation would augment and authorize FedRAMP for five-years to accelerate the program’s authorization process.

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Helmut Reisinger Joins Leadership Team With Palo Alto Networks; CEO Nikesh Arora Quoted
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Helmut Reisinger Joins Leadership Team With Palo Alto Networks; CEO Nikesh Arora Quoted

Palo Alto Networks announced on Tuesday that the global cybersecurity leader has named Helmut Reisinger as the new CEO for the company’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America (LATAM) business.

“Helmut is a visionary executive who I’ve known as both a global business leader and close partner to our company,” said CEO and Chairman Nikesh Arora. “Given the recent rapid growth of the worldwide cybersecurity market, we see significant opportunities to accelerate our international business.

Reisinger will work to drive the acceleration of the company’s global growth strategy with president BJ Jenkins, and will join Arora’s management team as well.

“Working together with BJ, Helmut’s relentless focus on the customer and understanding of the international business ecosystem will help us drive our robust EMEA business to future growth, while developing our growing Latin American business,” Arora added.

Reisinger is an internationally recognized business leader. Reisinger led a global organization of 28,000 employees as the CEO of Orange Business Services and supported the digital transformation of enterprise customers around the world. Reisinger has also held leadership positions across Europe at Avaya Inc, NextiraOne Germany and Alcatel Austria.

“I am excited to join Palo Alto Networks’ extraordinary leadership team at what is a critical time for the cybersecurity industry,” said Reisinger. “As a longtime partner, I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand how Palo Alto Networks’ continuous innovation is answering organizations’ cybersecurity needs with its unique end-to-end, cloud- and platform-based approach.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, is shaping the cloud-centric future with technology that is transforming the way people and organizations operate. Our mission is to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. We help address the world’s greatest security challenges with continuous innovation that seizes the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, analytics, automation, and orchestration.

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Army Seeks Info on Engineering Services for Stinger Missile
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Army Seeks Info on Engineering Services for Stinger Missile

The U.S. Army has posted a request for information on potential sources of engineering services for Stinger missiles as part of its planning and market research initiatives.

According to the SAM.gov notice, services are meant for the weapon system used by the military and foreign allies as low-altitude air defense against attack or aerial observation by drones, rotary or fixed-wing aircraft.

The RFI details military needs for system engineering, manufacturing, logistical, test equipment and other support services for the missiles and associated launchers of the U.S. and its Foreign Military Sales customers.

Stinger is a short-range guided missile system that is man-portable and can be shoulder-fired or platform launched to provide ground forces with protection against aerial threats. It features a high-explosive, hit-to-kill warhead and infrared counter-countermeasure capabilities to engage targets.

Responses to the RFI are due Jan. 7.

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Ransomware Attacks Spur Biden Administration to Take Aggressive Approach to Cybersecurity
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Ransomware Attacks Spur Biden Administration to Take Aggressive Approach to Cybersecurity

Companies are expected to face stricter cybersecurity rules in 2022 as ransomware attacks and other cyber hacks against U.S. government agencies, critical infrastructure and private firms pushed the current administration to introduce aggressive cyber policies, WSJ Pro Cybersecurity reported Monday.

“I do think what the Biden administration has done over the past year is disruptive,” said Sujit Raman, a partner at law firm Sidley Austin.

“They have moved quite aggressively away from voluntary standards and have been willing to impose mandatory standards. It’s disruptive in a novel way,” added Raman, a former associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice.

The government has directed companies in some sectors to comply with zero trust principles in designing their networks, designate personnel to communicate with officials and report cyberattacks.

The current administration has also ordered federal agencies to identify and address gaps in software and come up with guidelines for every critical infrastructure sector they manage.

Agencies like the Transportation Security Administration have issued standards directing pipeline operators to improve their cybersecurity and perform audits.

Raman said U.S. officials are likely to introduce more cyber requirements for water supply system operators and other critical infrastructure companies in 2022.

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Daniel Lecce Named DCSA Deputy Director
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Daniel Lecce Named DCSA Deputy Director

Daniel Lecce, a retired U.S. Marine Corps major general, will assume the role of deputy director at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) on Jan. 18th.

He will serve as principal adviser to the DCSA director and help manage resources, shape policies and oversee operational activities to meet the agency’s mission, DCSA said Monday.

Lecce most recently served as staff judge advocate and senior legal adviser to the commandant of the Marine Corps. In this position, he offered legal advice on cyber law, intelligence oversight, intelligence operations law and other strategic issues.

His military career included time as assistant judge advocate general of the Navy for military justice, senior legal adviser to U.S. Southern Command and general counsel for II Marine Expeditionary Force.

DCSA said Lecce’s appointment was the result of an extensive selection process that included a call for nominations from across the intelligence community, Department of Defense, security enterprise and the defense industrial base.

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Data Foundation Looks Into Federal Implementation of Evidence Act’s Evaluation Provisions
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Data Foundation Looks Into Federal Implementation of Evidence Act’s Evaluation Provisions

A Data Foundation survey has found progress in federal agencies’ implementation of evaluation provisions in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.

Data Foundation said 68 percent of surveyed federal evaluation officials said their agencies had published an evaluation policy and 41 percent of respondents said their organizations came up with an annual evaluation plan for fiscal year 2022. 

The respondents reported high levels of collaboration with chief data officers, statistical officials and senior executives in drafting agency learning agendas, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank.

The study showed that evaluation officers are experienced and clear on their roles. Nearly 90 percent of respondents said they spent more than five years in the federal government with at least half of them serving as an evaluation official for over five years. Seventy-one percent of respondents said they understand their role as an evaluation official.

Seventy-five percent of respondents said they think evaluation officials are “better able to fulfill the evaluation capacity and process issues codified in the Evidence Act at the time of the survey than compared to 2018, before the Evidence Act was passed,” the report reads.

The study also found that the size of budgets and staffing to back evaluation differ greatly across the government and that evaluation officers need additional support and resources to advance implementation of Evidence Act.

The report listed eight recommendations to further advance the evaluation function in the federal government, including the need for the Office of Management and Budget and agencies to request funding flexibility and increased resources in the president’s budget request for evaluation capacity and the call for senior agency executives to empower evaluation officers to carry out training and educational initiatives about evaluation.

The Data Foundation surveyed federal evaluation officials between Oct. 22 and Nov. 15, in partnership with the American Evaluation Association. The complete contact list for the survey included 158 valid contacts. A total of 21 respondents completed the survey, reflecting a response rate of 13 percent. While 32 contacts responded to at least part of the survey, showing a 20 percent response rate.

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